(Merry Christmas) But I Think I'll Miss This One This Year
by flippedstargirl
Summary: Katniss tries to survive the holiday season alone after missed connections. Everlark. AU. Oneshot.


**Author's Note:** Oh man, it's been a long time since I've attempted to write anything. I was inspired by _Christmas Wrapping_, my favorite Christmas song. Hopefully this won't be my last attempt to write something. Hope you all enjoy this!

* * *

**(Merry Christmas) But I Think I'll Miss This One This Year **

_Bah, humbug!_ I think to myself, already tired of the holiday season. It's not that I don't like Christmas. I love Christmas. It's my favorite holiday. I just didn't know what I get was getting myself into taking a job at Hawthorne & Sons Farms, which by the way if you didn't know is one of the largest evergreen wreath seller. I guess they did warn me they are a very seasonal driven business and it gets very busy and I was expected to work overtime once mid-October hit, I just didn't realize just how much time it actually meant. It's Thursday afternoon in early December and I've already clocked in almost 50 hours since Monday. It'll be a Christmas miracle if I survive this season.

"Evergreen! I need you down at the wreath department!" Gale Hawthorne's voice crackles through the walkie-talkie. I scowl at the nickname, and let him know that I am on my way. Gale is one of the sons of the aforementioned Hawthorne & Sons. When I introduced myself to Gale, he misheard and thought my last name was Evergreen, instead of Everdeen, and he thought it was the most ironic thing ever given the nature of the job.

When I reach the wreath department, I see the foremen and Gale examining noble fir. "What's going on?"

Gale frowns and hands me a bough. "It's been so cold out that the cut greens are freezing! This is completely useless now!"

I let out a frustrated sigh, "You're kidding!"

"I wish."

"Well, how bad is the damage?"

"A couple dozen pounds of it is bad for sure. We're going through the rest of it now."

I think for a moment, "Well, Joanna and her crew are out cutting more greens today. We'll just have them cut more than we told them and we've just emptied out Greenhouse Twelve, we can put the greens in there before we use them."

"Good idea, Katniss," Gale says and turns back to sift through more of the greens.

Not sure what to do next, I stand awkwardly for a minute before asking if they need help. Gale waves me off and tells me to get the purchase orders for the trucks coming this afternoon ready. As I head back to the office I let out a sigh of relief glad to have managed that crisis.

* * *

"Of course, that wasn't the only crisis that day," I tell Prim that night as we Skype. "One of the trucks headed to the Captiol broke down and we don't know when it would be fixed so our deliveries will be late. And then we ran out of berried holly for the holiday swag."

Prim laughs, "Swag?"

"Yeah, swag. You can put it on your door or whatever, it's more of a little bundle instead of a wreath."

"Katniss, do you know what swag is?"

I roll my eyes, "Yes, I just explained it to you…"

"Katniss! You're 25 not 52. Are you serious?"

"Prim, what are you talking about?"

It's Prim's turn to roll her eyes, "Never mind, you old lady. Have you been doing anything fun?"

"Fun? What is this fun you speak of? I work 12 hour days- every day. My last day off was sometime in October…"

"And you said a nurse's hours would be rough," Prim just graduated in spring with a degree in nursing, and now she works for a pediatric hospital and is loving every minute of it. "At least I get days off," she teases.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah." I look over at the clock it's almost 9, "Alright, I should go get ready for bed. I'll talk to you soon!"

"See, you're totally an old lady! Goodnight, Granny!" Prim waves goodbye, as I end our call.

As I brush my teeth, I think the last time I did something fun, or well… attempted to.

* * *

_10/31/2013 10:53 am_  
**Katniss: **Hey! I know this is last minute, but do you want to go to a Halloween trivia night with me and some friends? It starts at 6. It's a Halloween and candy themed trivia. Costumes optional.

_10/31/2013 11:31 am_  
**Peeta: ** That sounds awesome, I love candy. Could I get a ride?

_10/31/2013 11: 38 am_  
**Katniss: **Yeah, no problem. Pick you up at 5:30?

_10/31/2013 12:05 pm_  
**Peeta: **Yup. See you then. 508 Portia Lane. I'll be the one dressed up as an axe murderer. ;)

_10/31/2013 12:06 pm_  
**Katniss: **Comforting…

_10/31/2013 5:12 pm_  
**Katniss: **I'm so sorry, I'm going to have to stay late at work tonight. Emergency. Rain check?

_10/31/2013 5:14 pm_  
**Peeta: ** Seriously? If I didn't know any better, I'd say you were trying to avoid seeing me. :(

_10/31/2013 7:20 pm_  
**Katniss: **I'm not I swear! Work is just crazy. Hopefully we can meet up soon.

* * *

I didn't hear from him after that night.

He probably found a girl who he was actually able to meet up with and started dating her, I think to myself as I get into bed. After a few minutes I sigh and roll over trying to get comfortable. And try to not think of Peeta Mellark and his stupid blue eyes with his new girlfriend. I can almost picture them. Both blonde hair and blue eyed - a picture perfect couple. Ugh. And his new girlfriend's name is probably something stupid like Glimmer or Cashmere.

When I give my pillow a hard punch, I'm not sure if I'm just trying to get comfortable or get my aggression out. It's my own fault I suppose, the timing never worked out.

I've known Peeta since we were little kids- I'm pretty sure we were in the same kindergarten class. We went to school together for thirteen years but never talked. He was friendly, outgoing, athletic and very popular. I was shy and kept to myself. We didn't run in the same social circles. We acknowledged each other, saying hi in the halls but it never went beyond that.

Then, last February I saw him again at a ski lodge. I was taking a cocoa break, and the lodge was crowded. A table freed up and I headed over there quickly to claiming it, only to reach it the same time as Peeta. Peeta was always good looking, but he somehow looked even better than I remembered. He still had the same smile and twinkle in his eye. But now he was taller and broader, and his muscles seemed way more defined as he clutched a pair of crutches. Peeta was friendly as always, greeting me, while I stood there in shock. He even reintroduced himself- as if I couldn't remember him. Once I was able to shake off whatever had caused my brain and heart to stop, and tried to convince him I remembered him. He laughed and offered me the table. I refused, insisting he take it, he had a bad leg. I could still stand and wait for another table. He agreed to sit if I sat with him. I agreed, and we chatted over hot chocolates.

We swapped stories about our college experiences. He told his goal of opening a new bakery and how he was getting close to getting the perfect place but was working several jobs in the meantime to save up. I told him about Prim and my struggle finding a job that wasn't waiting tables. We even reminisced about our time at school together- I was surprised how much remembered from back then. I even let him complain about coming all the way up here, only to slip on ice the second he got out of the car and fracturing his ankle, so he was spending his weekend off sitting around in the lodge. Peeta also ordered croissants and he shared with me, dipping them in our drinks.

Before I knew it my short cocoa break had turned into a long break. It wasn't until my friend Madge came to find me that I realized the time- and we had to head back to District 12. Before I left, Peeta shyly asked me to sign his cast. I neatly printed "_Don't think about how much this itches! ;) –Katniss_" then, before I realized what I was doing I was also printing my phone number. Peeta looked pleasantly surprised when I returned the sharpie to him, and he promised to keep in touch.

As Madge, Rue and I headed home, my phone buzzed with a text.

_2/23/2013 5:43 pm_  
**Unknown**: You are evil.

I was hoping this text was from Peeta. The number had the same area code as mine. To be safe I typed, _Excuse me?_

_2/23/2013 5:47 pm**  
**_**Unknown:** My foot is super itchy now.

I bit my lip to keep from laughing. I quickly typed back a reply, _Um. I don't know what you're talking about…_

_2/23/2013 5:48 pm_  
**Peeta**: Oh. Sorry, wrong number …

I thought about not replying but then I imagined he was sitting alone, looking slightly dejected at his phone and I didn't have the heart to keep the joke going, _I'm just kidding. It's Katniss._

_2/23/2013 5:56 pm**  
**_**Peeta:** Rude!

_2/23/2013 5:56 pm**  
**Peeta:_ Katniss Everdeen, I didn't know you were such a jokester.

_2/23/2013 5:58 pm_  
**Katniss**: There's a lot you don't know about me.

_2/23/2013 5:58 pm_  
**Peeta:** I'd like to change that. :D

_2/23/2013 6:00 pm_  
**Katniss:** Me, too. :)

_Did I just send an emoticon? Since when do I do that?_

_2/23/2013 6:13 pm_**  
Peeta: **I know earlier I was complaining that my whole weekend was ruined because I broke my ankle, but I think it worked out in my favor.

_2/23/2013 6:16 pm_  
**Katniss: **I'm glad. :)

_Damn emoticons. _

We texted back and forth consistently for the first few weeks but we could never find a good time to meet up. Peeta had a cast and wasn't very mobile and I didn't have a car at the time.

Then, I went to visit Prim in Four for a week in April. We still texted after that but it was less frequent.

We ran into each other on the Fourth of July, and made plans to go to the tubing down the river the following weekend, but then Peeta got badly sunburnt while on his friend, Finnick's boat and couldn't bear being out in the sun for a few weeks.

July suddenly became the end of October and we again had missed our chance to see each other. How hard was it to meet up with someone?

I guess the odds weren't in our favor.

* * *

Before I know it, the next few weeks have flown by and it's the afternoon December 24th and the season is pretty much over. There are only a few dozen trees left in our Christmas store and even fewer wreaths. The only things that are selling anymore are centerpieces for everyone's Christmas dinner table. I'm ready to go home, reheat some soup and fall asleep to whatever Christmas movie is on TV. Neither Prim nor I could get time off to spend Christmas together, so we made plans to go to Hawaii for a week in March when we both could get time off.

Gale and I are about ready to close up the shop when a car pulls up. Gale lets out a groan, and I tell him to start cleaning up and I'll deal with the last minute shopper. My jaw nearly drops when I come face to face with a pair of very familiar blue eyes. "Peeta? Hi."

Peeta grins at me, "Hi, Katniss. Fancy meeting you here. Getting last minute decorations for Christmas?"

I shake my head, "No, actually I work here. I help manage production all of these Christmas greens. And on occasion I work at the Christmas shop."

"Really? Cool, can you help me find the best stuff?"

"I can try, you have slim pickings though, most people don't procrastinate and wait until the day before Christmas."

Peeta shrugs, "In my defense, Ukrainian Christmas isn't until January 7th."

"These trees can last over a month with the right care," I tell him as I lead him over to the trees. "So, you're Ukranian?"

Peeta laughs, "No… I was just trying to use it as an excuse. I've just been busy lately, I've been helping my dad, and I finally moved into my new place. So, I figured it needed some holiday decorations. And I thought I'd celebrate Ukrainian Christmas this year to keep everything up for longer than a day."

I laugh, "I guess that makes sense. How's this tree?" I show him the fullest tree we have left.

"Perfect," he smiles brightly at me, and I can't help but smile back.

Peeta carries the tree back to his car, and I help him tie it to the roof of his car.

Peeta pulls out his wallet, "So what do I owe you?"

I shake my head, "Don't worry about it, it's on me."

Peeta looks at me confused, "Are you sure?"

I nod, "I'm allowed to take a tree home, you can have mine."

"You, Miss Don't-Wait-To-Get-a-Tree, don't have a tree yourself?"

"No… I'm not really celebrating this year. I've been so busy here I haven't had time to decorate. And my sister wasn't able to get time off so I'll be spending Christmas by myself this year, so why bother?"

Peeta hesitates for a moment, "Come over to my place. I'll be alone, too. My parents went to Aruba for the holidays, and my brothers are with their own families. I've just got my place all set up minus the tree, and you could help me decorate. You are an expert after all."

"You're going to invite someone you barely know over for Christmas?" I ask wryly.

"But I do know you. I'd like to get to know you better and I think this is the perfect opportunity. I'm not going to let another year pass by before we hang out again," he says giving me a soft smile.

I agree to come over, and I notice we're standing under a kissing ball and I point it out to him.

He gives me a quizzical look, "What's a kissing ball?"

"Well… tradition says when a girl stands under a kissing ball, she gets a kiss and she plucks a berry off until there are no berries left."

"I think I might like this tradition."

My laugh gets caught in my throat as his tugs on one of my belt loops, pulling me closer. Who knew my stomach could flip so many times from such a small gesture? We both lean in for a kiss, and it's even better than I thought it would be. His lips are firm and warm and I taste a hint of cinnamon. I roll onto my toes to get closer to him, and he moves his hands from my hips to my back. One of his hands slides to the skin between hem of my coat and jeans, warming me up. I'm surprised his hands are so warm even after being outside for a good fifteen minutes.

There's a cough behind me and Peeta and jump apart. I turn around guiltily and look at Gale. He's smirking at me, "I'm going to lock up, so feel free to go."

I feel my cheeks start to burn. "Thanks," I mutter embarrassed.

Peeta smiles cheekily. "I'll take all the kissing balls you have left."

I roll my eyes and move to push him, but he's quicker than me and grabs my arm to pull me in for another kiss. We laugh into each other's mouths and somehow that's better than the last kiss. I can't help but think that it was a Christmas miracle that brought us together again.


End file.
